Motels and motel chains
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Extended Stay Hotels Guide
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People who are new to vacationing in North America may
be unfamiliar with motels. The word ‘motel’ is a
portmanteau of the words ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’ – meaning a
roadside hotel. If you do not have a car you will have
to stay in hotels in central city areas, which are far
more expensive (double the price or more). If you have
rented a car, however, I recommend living outside of the
busy central areas, just a few miles outside of the city
centre. There, prices drop significantly while service
remains just as good.
Most motels are long buildings
(horizontally) two or three storeys tall, which allow
guests to drive their car almost all the way to their
room. Usually there will be a central building which
houses the reception area, a restaurant and other
facilities. Every hotel has an ice machine, vending
machines and, more often than not, coin laundry (with
both washing machines and driers available). Some hotels
also have a workout room and a Jacuzzi.
Motel rooms
tend to be quite similar: they are spacious enough and
contain two queen size beds or one king size bed
(families are advised to specifically request two queen
size beds). The room also has a television, a desk,
chairs, a dresser, and an ensuite bathroom with a
bathtub (or in rare cases, just a shower). Some hotels
also have a fridge, a coffee maker or a microwave.
It
is easy to recognise motels right off the highway, as
they tend to have tall, lit-up signs which can be seen
from a distance. Sometimes you may encounter the term
‘Motor lodge’ – it is just another term for ‘motel’.
Breakfast is usually not included in your lodging fee in
motels. However, in recent years motels have begun to
offer free continental breakfast. Be sure to ask if
breakfast is included if it is not mentioned when you
check in. An important thing to keep in mind is that
some information might not be offered to you if you
don’t ask. So don’t be shy, and inquire: Is there a
weekly lodging fare that is cheaper than the daily fare?
Are there any discounts available? Are there rooms with
a fridge?
For a travelling family, motels are the
most convenient kind of lodging. They are relatively
cheap, and parking is close to your room so there is no
need to carry your bags a long way or use the services
of a bellboy (motels don’t have bellboys). In most
motels children get to stay for free in the same room as
their parents, although the age at which someone is no
longer considered a ‘child’ varies from motel to motel.
In some, 12 and under is considered ‘child’ while in
others it’s 18 and under. You can quickly and cheaply
do your laundry and you can relax in the motel’s pool.
Restaurants right next to motels are usually nice and
inexpensive family diners. Often, several motels are
located very close to each other and to a variety of
fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King and
Pizza Hut.
There are many motel chains all over the
US and Canada. The biggest and best ones are listed
below this paragraph with links to their websites.
Online you can find information about any and all motel
locations for every chain and what facilities they
include. If you enter the dates in which you intend to
stay in a particular motel on its website, you will find
out if there are available rooms on those dates and be
notified of the precise cost (before tax). You can book
on the phone or, even more easily, online. You will need
to give the motel your credit card number in order to
reserve the room for late check-in (after 4PM). Travel
agents can also take care of booking for you but
sometimes for a higher price. Be sure to compare prices
as the differences may be significant. If you are making
the booking yourself remember to enquire about
discounts, deals and promotions.
This is a list of the biggest and best motel chains in the US. Most of them also have branches in Canada.
Hotel
Choice
Includes several different motel chains:
Best Western
One of the top motel chains in the US:
Holiday Inn Express
Belongs to the Holiday Inn hotel chain
Days Inn
A big chain of comfortable,
decently-priced motels
Howard Johnson®:
Kids stay free, includes complimentary breakfast and
free high-speed internet:
Motel 6
The cheapest chain; rooms tend to be smaller and have
showers instead of bathtubs
RED ROOF INNS
- a smaller chain
LA
QUINTA INN
